Dana Aichler Pillow Maker Extraordinaire

When you are in the pillow design business 
you are a lover of textiles.

Probably to the point of distraction and

when you find someone with that same passion,

 that is usually the topic of conversation
 when you run into each other.

I became fast friends with Dana Aichler when

 we both would hoover

over the same pile of textiles at sales

and markets around Texas.

Sometimes we would reach for the same 

piece and it was not unusual for 

us to buy goods from each other.

I learned that she and her mother

 owned a fabulous shop,

Twenty Six Twenty,

 in Houston that carried her pillows.

I was new in town in the 90's

 and I went to check them out...

Well, they were fabulous and

just get more luscious with each

new batch.

Basically, when you are doing antique pillows

you work with fragments, pieces and

tiny embellishments that have survived.

It takes months to find all the elements

that make each pillow so subtle yet

powerful in a room.

These are pillows that don't go into 

a family room. Any person with

an eye will know from 50 feet

if they are the "real" deal.

 They are what designers look

for when doing the final touches on a project.

You pass them along to your eldest daughter who

knows that they are very special.  

Dana's pillows are works of art

and that is from

one obsessive pillow maker

to another...

Now you can buy them on line in

the eAntiquing site of

Antique Shops and Designers Magazine

 and also from her selection at

 Memorial Interiors and Antiques,

  in H-town.

Photo Veranda 2009

You really don't need another purse. 

Buy yourself a one-of-a-kind 

pillow from Dana.

It will give you pleasure

for years to come.

A Whiter Shade of Pale

You just can't go wrong with

 white bed dressings.

Above average sheet thread count

and pillows that guarantee

sweet dreams.

Well Placed ...

Here are some examples of 

pillows that I think have been used

well not only for comfort, but 

as a perfect design detail.

Clean. 

You can tell this pillow is down filled

and would only add to your comfort 

in this setting.

 Where it is placed

makes you want to crawl into the 

corner of the sofa.

 Great mix.

In larger beds don't let the pillows

overwhelm.  

Perfect placement, 

perfect size, 

perfect colors.

Touch of Fortuny.

Great details and sublime

combination of fabrics here.

If you use a throw, don't 

throw it, (those always

look staged), fold it and place it

for color and comfort.

 Love bolsters, but they have to 

be the right size and shape

 for the sofa or chair.

This round, tailored one is perfect for the 

higher sofa arms.

(Matthew Patrick Smyth)

This pillow is the perfect scale 

and bold enough to handle the fringe

trim on the sofa.

(Matthew Patrick Smyth)

Dark pillows emphasize the ones placed in front 

and I love the tufted sofa along with 

the circular fabric on the 
accent pillows.

The added detail of the carpet square
pattern pulls this room all together.

(Matthew Patrick Smyth)
A bedroom sitting area that has so much
 going for it, but I love the fact that the window
 treatments are so fancy
and the pillows are perfectly restrained
 in contrast.

(Matthew Patrick Smyth)
Using a mitered cut on the front of the 
pillow in the corner 
of this banquet adds a great
detail to this setting.

Another perfect pillow placement
BBC "Couples" 
Joke About Pillows...very funny.

Fear of Pillows

Say hello to one of my favorites decorators,

 Scot Meacham Wood,

head of the SMW Design firm in San Francisco.

I saw this photo taken of him at the High Point

show this year and thought...

"now that is how you use a pillow."

It tucks under our arm.

Provides support.

Doesn't take up the entire chair.

It does what a pillow is meant to do.

When I saw this photo last month of Lee Radziwill and

how her sofa was set up and the pillows placed

in front of a straight back I loved it.

Doesn't she looked

content and comfortable?

When you look at this sofa it lets you

know that three people can enjoy this space.

The same treatment here.

Pillows send out signals about how the piece

of furniture should be used.

Of course, also for decorative elements, but

that should be secondary to the 

element of comfort.

The sofa below says to me...

"I don't have room for you here,

 all the 

space is taken."

Guests are nervous about pillows.

Can they be moved?

Will I disrupt the order?

How many people can sit here? 

Is there room for me on that chair with

 that big pillow?

This sofa set up makes 

no sense to me.

This plays better, but I still think that it shouts,

"There is only room for one person here,

 and you must sit in the 

middle of the sofa."

This room says to me, 

"there is space for two people

 on the sofa." 

Not scary to a newcomer, 

yet screams good design.

This sofa is good looking and

 non threatening.  

Visitors see there is plenty of space,

the pillows are not too ridged

or fragile looking.

No one will ever really sit on this chair.

The depth left for sitting is minimal.

But I do appreciate the

 look of the chair and the beauty of the 

one of a kind pillow. 

Nice to look at, but not for sitting.

I know this is just for styling,

 but how crazy to have the pair of 

straw/raffia

pillows on the floor?

What would you ever use them for?

Lovely, but I would like to see the smaller pillows 

in front of the larger pair 

with the fringe.

A bit too severe in the karate chop look...

But, no trepidation here...well done.

Oh, the quandary of pillows!

They can provide comfort

 and

add a punch to your home.